The Cat's Gratitude (1)

"What do we do?" The two girls looked at each other, facing the wreckage of the kitchen on the second floor, with walls and ceilings scorched by fire. Finally, Selina, who had just recovered, came to their aid, and they managed to clean up the mess.

"No big deal," Baia declared decisively, "but we can't let Mrs. Hudson know, or I'll have to leave."

"Alright," Holly said, "let's cover up the crime scene for now. I'll get some friends to come over the weekend and paint the walls."

After exchanging a few words, Baia saw Holly off and then collapsed on the bed, exhausted.

Since Baia started hanging out with them, her biological clock had become quite erratic. If it weren't for the system waking her up occasionally to drink some water, she might have slept for 24 hours straight.

When Baia woke up again, it was past nine in the morning.

Initially reluctant to get up, Baia became much more alert when she opened the door to find Selina knocking.

Selina, dressed in a short black top that bared her midriff, wore a black jacket that matched her motorcycle perfectly. Her tight pants hugged her long, powerful legs. Baia knew Selina always went for a sexy and mature style, and she knew exactly how to exude that captivating beauty. But today, with her choice of a bright orange lipstick to go with her outfit, she looked ten years younger, giving off the vibe of Baia's college-going sister.

System: Oh wow! Beautiful sister! Love it, love it!

"With only two sets of clothes to wear, it's too pitiful," Selina said, "and all in such dull colors. It's meaningless to waste beauty like this."

Baia blinked, "Do you have an aesthetic requirement for kitchen maids' attire?"

Selina didn't buy it, "Don't play the innocent. Want to go shopping with me? If not, I'll go back to sleep."

Baia nodded eagerly.

After all, how many girls her age didn't like to dress up?

"By the way, have you ever thought about buying some clothes for yourself?" Selina grabbed Baia like a kitten and dragged her to the dressing table. The long black hair, which was difficult to style, was flying everywhere due to static electricity in the cold weather, making the girl look like a limited edition Gotham version of Dr. Octopus.

Selina tied up the naturally beautiful black hair that had been neglected by its owner, into two long ponytails that reached her waist. Then, she leaned over the girl's chin, contemplating how to draw those two thin eyebrows.

Baia let her play with her, hands resting on her knees in a proper posture. When Selina asked her question, she replied nonchalantly, "Even if I have more clothes, who would I wear them for?"

Selina knew that was not what she really thought, otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed so enthusiastically today. Before, the girl was like an invisible ghost, wearing whatever, lowering her standards for herself, and no one cared; but as soon as someone showed a little attention to her, she immediately remembered this matter.

Selina gave Baia a light makeup, after all, she was still young, a little touch-up on the complexion, and she immediately looked like a different person, lively and vibrant.

Baia's lively expression in the mirror was actually quite rare. Whether Holly praised her dishes excessively or teased her, she always maintained a polite and courteous demeanor, yet she could still say witty things in a serious tone, making Holly find her particularly interesting; she had never been angry before, and when Selina spoke harshly, Baia just responded calmly, never sulking like other girls her age.

"Alright," Selina said, looking satisfied with her handiwork, "perfect."

It was the first time Baia had the honor of sitting on the backseat of Selina's motorcycle. She happily wrapped her arms around the woman's slender waist, pressing her face against her back, like a little cat, shamelessly rubbing against her.

Selina didn't mind, lazily saying, "Hold on tight."

"Selinaaaaa—"

Like a black lightning bolt, the motorcycle raced away, dragging Baia's cries far behind.

As Baia hugged her with full trust, Selina's mischievous streak suddenly surged. A simple acceleration had shattered the girl's previously calm and steady demeanor, her small hands gripping her tightly, which was very amusing.

"You did that on purpose."

When she got off the motorcycle, she saw Baia wiping her face with her sleeve, a hint of redness at the corner of her eyes suggesting that the girl might have been scared to tears by her. Selina just wanted to tease her because bullying Baia was really fun, but she didn't want to make her upset. However, she quickly realized that her concern was somewhat unnecessary because Baia insisted that she was "just tearing up in the wind," and crying was impossible.

Apart from packing up a lot of autumn and winter clothes suitable for Baia's figure in the store, Selina also took her to have a few dresses tailored. Moreover, Selina's taste was very sophisticated. The clothes she chose didn't make Baia look so expensive that she seemed like a lofty princess, nor did they make her look mature like a little adult. Several shop assistants in the store kept praising Baia's cuteness, and Baia politely returned the compliments one by one.

At Selina's strong insistence, the shop assistants threw Baia's previous clothes into the trash. Now, she was wrapped in a fluffy white scarf, wearing a plaid burgundy coat with two fluffy balls tied to her ponytail, looking like a little chubby bird.

There were also more formal outfits, such as a dark green knitted vest and a new black coat, making Baia look like a little witch from Slytherin.

This pile of packages and bags awakened Baia's shopping nature, but thankfully, Selina remembered to pay and knew when to stop. Despite not daring to compliment Selina's driving skills, Baia still got on the backseat of Selina's motorcycle on the way back.

Selina dropped Baia off at home and rubbed her nose, "I have something to do later, I'll teach you how to draw eyebrows next time."

Baia nodded, "Okay!"

As Selina was about to leave, Baia said, "Kiss!"

So she turned back and gave the girl a kiss.

System: Haha, usually as stable as Mount Tai, now so happy that her tail is spinning like a propeller. Still says she's not a dog.

Baia told the system to shut up.

She neatly hung up the clothes in the wardrobe, then twirled in front of the large floor mirror, admiring the fluffy balls tied to her ponytail, her heart pounding.

She lay back on the bed for a while, then jumped up again, buzzing around the room like a little bee.

Baia had an idea.

She pulled out a note that she had carefully hidden, then put it back again. Unable to resist, she took it out again and lay on the bed, propping up her chin to look at the beautiful handwriting.

After looking at it for a long time, rolling around on the bed.

Finally made up her mind.

She dialed the numbers on the house phone one by one, carefully.

"Mr. Grayson?" she said softly.

"No, it's nothing, I... I'm fine. Actually, I just wanted to ask," Baia gathered her courage, "are you free to come to my house for lunch on Saturday?"

The system started calling again, but this time it was the cheering of a rooster.

After hanging up the phone, Baia's face was flushed, and she scolded the system, "Why are you making noise again?"

System: Oh, it seems like a girl has grown up.

Baia said, "I really didn't mean that. I just want to thank him."

System: You either thank early or thank late, why thank now?

Baia: "Reasoning with stubborn people is useless, I'm going to cook."

Baia was too lazy to talk to the system anymore, humming a song happily as she entered the kitchen, not even the large patches of blackened walls and ceilings could ruin her mood.

"You listen to me," Baia said seriously, "you're not allowed to come to my house on Saturday, and neither is Selina."

Holly felt a bit aggrieved, feeling that even the pig's elbow in her hand didn't smell good anymore, "Why?"

Baia was vague, "We have guests."

Holly: "!"

Holly: "I see."

System: Uh oh, she's been corrupted by you, and now she's starting to understand.

Growing up in Gotham, Holly was quite mature from a young age. Her keen sense of smell for such things far exceeded Baia's estimate. She blinked, "Is he handsome?"

"I'm not..." Baia struggled for a long time, but finally gave up resisting, "Yes, he is."

System: Hm.

In Baia's mind, she argued convincingly: Even though I really didn't mean that, Mr. Grayson is indeed very handsome.

At this moment, Holly seemed to suddenly remember something: "By the way, what about you..." She pondered for a while, as if not sure where to start.

"Are you the kind of witch who hides her identity and can't reveal herself easily?" she phrased carefully, asking, "If you were discovered, would you be hunted down by vampire hunters?"

Baia set down her chopsticks: "...You've read too many novels."

"No, I just don't remember anything," Holly said with wide eyes.

"I thought your excuse was just to brush people off, but do you really not remember anything? Did you accidentally drink the wrong potion?" Holly asked.

"You've got it wrong, I'm not that kind of 'mage'," Baia found it a bit difficult to explain, "Actually, I'm not a mage at all, I'm a doctor."

Holly seemed less interested in this topic now. She bit her lip and said, "Actually, I just wanted to ask... if I have a friend who's injured, can I find you for treatment? If it's inconvenient, forget it."

Baia said, "There's nothing inconvenient about it. In fact, I'm planning to open a clinic, but I can't reveal my identity."

"A clinic?" Holly sounded a bit excited, "I can help you, we can open it together, and I can help you attract customers—"

"Why do you make attracting customers sound so suggestive?" Baia said helplessly, "But it's just an idea for now. I think, if I want to open it, I'll need to rent the ground floor as well, so I can consult downstairs. And I can't reveal my abilities, it's too dangerous."

Holly nodded repeatedly, "I understand, I understand. When you're ready, let's ask Selina, she'll be happy to lend you startup capital."